Visa application process for students holding a conditional offer for a degree programme and applying for the 6-week pre-sessional course:

1. Passport upload
Once your place is confirmed on the pre-sessional course, you must upload a copy of your passport to the My passport, visa and CAS section of the online student portal, MyImperial. 

2. CAS number
Once you have uploaded your passport and paid the pre-sessional course fee, Admissions will issue your CAS number. Provided that your status is Unconditional Firm for the pre-sessional course, it will normally be within a week and you will be able to access it in the online student portal, MyImperial. You will also be sent an email notifying you that it is ready. 

N.B.  Your CAS number will cover your pre-sessional course only.

3. Visa application
You should now apply for your Student route visa.  

Meeting the Student Route Financial Requirements

In order to meet the Student Route Immigration Rules requirements, applicants must have held a set amount of money in a bank account for a consecutive 28 day period prior to making the visa application. Students applying for a visa for the pre-sessional course will need to have a minimum of £2,668 to cover living costs in the UK during the course. View our guidance on meeting the financial requirements but note that the amount needed is different for 6-week Pre-sessional applicants as indicated here. 

4. Visa extension

Your visa will expire approximately one month after the pre-sessional course end date.

If you pass your pre-sessional course assessment and fulfil all the conditions of  your offer for your main course, you will need to apply to extend your Student Route visa to cover your main degree course. To help you with this, the International Student Support Team hold visa extension workshops during the pre-sessional course.

Visa application process for students holding an unconditional offer for a degree programme and applying for the 3-week pre-sessional course:

Stages 1 and 2 are the same as for the 6-week students above. The only difference is that your CAS number will cover both the pre-sessional course and your main degree course. This means that the CAS number can only be issued once your status is Unconditional Firm for both your Pre-sessional course and main programme.

3. Visa application
You should now apply for your Student Route visa.

Meeting the Student Route Financial Requirements

In order to meet the Student route Immigration Rules requirements, applicants must have held a set amount of money in a bank account for a consecutive 28 day period prior to making the visa application. Students applying for a visa to cover the pre-sessional and their main course will need to have a minimum of £12,006 to cover living costs in the UK along with your tuition fees for the first year of the main course of study. View our guidance on meeting the financial requirements.

 

Other points to note for all students: 

Important note on CAS numbers

A CAS number generated by Imperial College London for a pre-sessional English course or for a pre-sessional English course plus a main degree course can only be used to obtain a Student Route visa to study at Imperial College London. You will not be able to use this visa to study at any other institution. Equally, if you hold a CAS number and obtain a Student Route visa for another institution you will not be able to use this to study at Imperial College London.

Home Office interviews

Selected students applying for a Student Route visa from overseas will be required to complete a short interview via a video link with a member of staff from the Home Office in the UK. Applicants selected for interview will be asked a number of questions on their immigration history, education, study and post-study plans and financial circumstances. If you are invited to an interview, you may find it helpful to look at the College website so you are familiar with your UG/MSc/MRes/PhD programme, the Pre-sessional English programme and Imperial College London.